Jackman excited about Broadway return, Tony duties

NEW YORK (AP) — Hugh Jackman is jacked to host the Tony Awards for the third time, but he's also looking forward to being onstage for a longer stint in the near future.

"I'm going back to Broadway. I'm doing a play called 'The River,' a Jez Butterworth play. So I'm really looking forward to treading the boards here on Broadway," Jackman confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The play, the first since Butterworth's "Jerusalem," is about a trout fisherman in a remote cabin who is visited by two of the women in his life. It was first seen in London in 2012.

But before that, it's the Tony Awards for Jackman on June 8.

"It's like the Olympics for an athlete or the Super Bowl for a football player. You want to do your best, and, of course, you only get one shot at it. But they're the things you look back at the end of the day and say, 'I'm glad I had a go at that,'" Jackson said of the annual awards ceremony that celebrates the best in theater.

"I've done it three times, the Tonys. For me it's one of the best shows out there. It is one of the most accepting, generous audiences you can ever get at Radio City Music Hall," said Jackman, who has also won a Tony. "I never take for granted how lucky I am to be embraced by that community. After all, I'm an Aussie, but I've always felt at home there."

The new play will be Jackman's fourth on Broadway. He was last there with a one-man show in 2011 that routinely sold out the 1,176-seat Broadhurst Theatre. He also starred in "The Boy From Oz" in 2003 and the play "A Steady Rain" with Daniel Craig in 2009.

"The River," with Ian Rickson directing, will begin previews Oct. 31 at the Circle in the Square theatre. It will open Nov. 16 and co-star Cush Jumbo and Laura Donnelly. Each performance will have some $35 tickets available.

The 45-year-old star, who is promoting his latest film, "X-Men: Days of Future Past," says he's already started rehearsals for the Tonys, but doubts his X-Men character Wolverine will be making an appearance.

"I'm not sure Fox will be thrilled if Wolverine came out singing and dancing," he joked.